Two Montgomery rap groups are connected with four shootings in the past three months, Montgomery police confirmed today. One of the victims, 20-year-old Desamuel Thomas, a rapper in one of the groups, was murdered Oct. 30 as he was taking the stage at a local nightclub. (Photo uploaded to Flickr by David Hudson)

MONTGOMERY, Alabama – Like the famous and deadly rivalry between East Coast rapper Biggie and West Coast rapper 2Pac, a feud between rap artists has left the City of Montgomery to deal with a wave of violence.

Today at a
press conference, authorities confirmed that two Montgomery rap groups are responsible
for four shootings in the Capital City since August.

While the two groups are said to be responsible for four attacks that claimed three lives and injured a documented 23 others, police say that the community should not be alarmed.

"These shooters all had intended targets, went to predetermined locations and sought out their victims," Murphy said today. "These were not random acts of violence, and the community should feel safe that this is a small group of young people that have gained access to guns and are only concerned with retaliating against each other."

16-year-old Gregory Earl Blue was charged with one count of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder in an attack Oct. 30 at Island Lounge, where the Fam Bois were set to perform. (Montgomery County Sheriff's Department)

He was charged with one count of murder and 10 counts of
attempted murder and remains in the Montgomery County Detention Center under a $2 million bond. Authorities said Blue will be prosecuted as an adult.

Joining Blue behind bars are two suspects in the Gibbs Village shooting, seven from the Oak Park outbreak -- including two men convicted this week of murder in a 2009 shooting -- and one suspect from the incident near Cramton Bowl. Police have not indicated that all suspects charged were members of the rap groups, but have said that they are all linked to
the two musical groups in some way.

Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange said today in a joint press conference with Murphy that the 11 arrests were an indicator of authorities' commitment to defuse the two organizations, which he referred to as loosely knit neighborhood groups.

"You put these people away for 30 years to life, then we are sending the right message, the message that we will not stop and we will be relentless in bringing this very small group, this handful of thugs, that are doing these things against each other," said Strange.

Evidence in the Oak Park shooting case made public by police in
October stated that lyrics in rap videos found on YouTube made by one of the two groups actually stated the names of their intended targets. Those videos have since been removed from the Internet.

Several of the Crescent Road Heroz music videos can be found on YouTube, accompanied by indications of the animosity aimed at some in several of the comments sections of the videos.

"These groups are small, and we are aware of who the key players are," said Murphy. He also said the the department expects additional arrests in two of the shootings.

Montgomery Department of Public Safety Director Chris Murphy said that along with the reactive measures to arrest the suspected shooters, the department is taking several proactive steps to prevent future instances, including sending officers to an out-of-state training on the handling of such crimes.

Murphy on young people with gunsMontgomery Police Chief Kevin Murphy speaks at an Nov. 2, 2011 press conference on the differences phenomenon of the current state of young violence vs. how it was decades ago. (Christine Kneidinger, al.com)